A Belfast barber shop is offering free haircuts to those struggling financially in the lead-up to Christmas this year.
Curran & Co Barber Shop, which is located in the city centre, will be offering the service on December 19 to anyone who may be feeling the pinch this festive period.
This initiative comes as the cost-of-living continues to impact households across the north, with latest pulse survey from the NI Consumer Council showing that over 40% of respondents felt worse-off than the same time last year.
More: ‘For the kids you just have to keep going’: Co Antrim mum facing first Christmas without husband
Those financial pressures are often exacerbated over the festive period, which is why barber shop owner Caoimhghín Curran decided to offer free haircuts to those struggling.
🎅🏼FREE haircuts this Christmas!🎅🏼
Posted by Curran & Co Barbershop on Monday 18 November 2024
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“I have three kids of my own and I know what it’s like coming up to Christmas,” he said.
“You can’t press pause on your bills; all your bills need to be paid while worrying about everything else, especially having to buy stuff for the kids.
“The last thing you should be worrying about is having to pay for a haircut.”
The 29-year-old from Short Strand in east Belfast said he was ‘really looking forward to helping people out’ with this idea.
“It’ll make life a tiny bit easier for them hopefully,” he said.
“If they get in touch with me, I’ll be making sure that they’re well looked after.”
Those who might be in need of a free haircut can book in with Caoimhghín through private messaging the shop’s Facebook or Instagram pages, all of which is kept confidential.
“I’ll book them in after-hours,” he said
“I’m gonna be doing these cuts in the evening, so they’ll be able to come in, nothing will be talked about – it’ll just be like a normal haircut.”
Caoimhghín started barbering just under seven years ago and opened his own shop in February of this year.
He hopes people will also feel better about themselves after getting their free haircut.
“If someone hasn’t had a haircut in a couple of months, I’m sure they would feel ecstatic,” he said.
“For some fella who hasn’t had his haircut in five, six weeks it’ll make him feel like a new man, bring his confidence back.”
He also highlighted the important role the simple act of getting a haircut can have for many men.
“People have told me things that they haven’t told anybody,” he said.
“You’re almost like a counsellor as well as a barber.
“That’s why I do it, because people open up to me but I also open up to them - I’m their counsellor and they end up mine!”
